NASHVILLE — Johnny Wright, a country music pioneer who had hits as a singer in the duo Johnnie and Jack and guided the career of his wife, Kitty Wells, died early Tuesday. He was 97. Close family friend Eddie Stubbs said Wright died of natural causes around 1 a.m. at his home.
“With the passing of Johnny Wright, it really brings an end to an era,” said Stubbs, a WSM radio host who came to town as a fiddler for Wright and Wells. “He saw it all happen right in front of his very eyes, then got to become an active participant in the music, too.”